Republican candidates show their differences

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. --The 10 declared Republican candidates for president introduced themselves to the nation last night in their first debate of the 2008 campaign season, displaying sharp differences over social issues, immigration, and the pursuit of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden as they sought to make a strong first impression with voters.

Former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani struggled to clearly articulate his position on abortion. Arizona Senator John McCain reiterated his support for staying in Iraq but offered sharp criticism of the Bush administration's conduct of the war. And Mitt Romney, in his national coming-out party of sorts, delivered a largely comfortable, confident performance that left his advisers beaming.

The largely civil debate was unlikely to significantly alter the contours of the GOP primary field: None of the candidates leading in the polls committed any major gaffes, and none of the others seemed to make any breakthrough to vault them into the top ranks.

Facing each other for the first time, the candidates made mostly veiled criticisms of one another and stuck to their scripts in advocating fiscal restraint, a hard line against Iran, and a belief that their party will hold onto the White House despite a dismal showing in midterm elections last fall and an unpopular sitting president.

Romney took heat for saying recently that the United States "shouldn't move heaven and earth" to catch bin Laden, because Islamic terror would continue should the Al Qaeda leader be captured. Romney amended that comment last night, saying: "We'll move everything to get him. . . . He is going to pay, and he will die." But his rivals, notably McCain, seized on Romney's earlier remark.

"We will do whatever is necessary," McCain said forcefully. "We will bring him to justice, and I will follow him to the gates of hell."

Giuliani had difficulty answering questions about abortion, especially when moderator Chris Matthews asked the candidates whether Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, should be repealed. Though everyone before him answered yes unequivocally, Giuliani said tepidly: "It would be OK."

"OK to repeal?" Matthews asked.

"It would be OK to repeal," Giuliani said. "It would be OK also if a strict constructionist judge viewed it as precedent, and I think a judge has to make that decision."

The debate served as a sort of unofficial kickoff to the GOP presidential race for many viewers, although the candidates have already been skirmishing for months over money, supporters, media attention, and name recognition. The venue last night, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, was fitting: The candidates have all tried to cloak themselves in Reagan's legacy, and that continued last night.

Also participating in the debate were Kansas Senator Sam Brownback; former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee; former Virginia governor Jim Gilmore; Representative Duncan Hunter of California; Representative Tom Tancredo of Colorado; former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson; and Representative Ron Paul of Texas.

Despite the large number of candidates on stage, two Republicans who were not there loomed large: President Bush, whose low popularity ratings have created a complicated dynamic with his prospective successors, and Fred Thompson, the "Law & Order" actor and former Tennessee senator who is reportedly laying the groundwork to enter the race.

Thompson, scheduled to speak today to a group of influential Republicans in nearby Orange County, is already polling higher than Romney in some national surveys, which political analysts say reflects a general unease among some conservatives with the current field. His entry would shake up the primary race considerably.

The candidates treated Bush mostly with kindness last night, although there were a few occasions when they did not. Huckabee was tough on Bush, for example, for how the president handled the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld last fall.

McCain slammed the Bush administration, saying it bungled the Iraq war, but renewed his call for patience.

"We have a new general," McCain said. "We have a new strategy. That strategy can succeed."

For the Arizona senator, the debate was an opportunity to continue the momentum his campaign contends it has gained from recent major policy speeches and from his five-state official announcement tour last month.

Tommy Thompson said at one point that it was OK with him if a private employer who believed homosexuality was immoral wanted to fire a gay worker.

Romney enjoyed a moment of strength when Matthews asked him what he would say to Roman Catholic bishops who deny Communion to elected officials who support abortion rights.

"I don't say anything to Roman Catholic bishops; they can do whatever the heck they want," he said, before turning it into an opportunity to dispel concerns about his Mormon faith. "This is a nation, after all, that wants a leader that's a person of faith, but we don't choose our leader based on which church they go to."

Some rival campaign operatives and bloggers who oppose Romney made sure to highlight yesterday how Romney's rhetoric has changed significantly since the last two occasions he debated political opponents -- in 2002, when he strongly supported abortion rights, and in 1994, when he made a point of distancing himself from the same Reagan legacy he now wants to emulate. Romney also absorbed some subtle digs last night for his shifts in position, as several candidates made a point of calling themselves "consistent" conservatives.

For Giuliani, who has cultivated an image as "America's mayor" for his leadership since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the debate was a chance to demonstrate to the country that his record and knowledge of issues transcends national security. He did that by repeatedly citing his term as mayor.

"There's a great deal that I learned and a great deal that I regret during the time I was mayor -- and a great deal I was very, very satisfied with," he said at one point, listing as accomplishments cutting crime, trimming welfare rolls, and slashing a budget deficit.

Last night's debate was sponsored by MSNBC and The Politico, a new print and online publication dedicated to politics. Unlike the Democrats' first presidential debate last week at South Carolina State University, last night's affair was tightly controlled and allowed for no sign-waving supporters or protesters.

The GOP candidates are scheduled to debate in South Carolina later this month, then early next month in New Hampshire.

Toward the end of the debate, Matthews gave all the candidates a softball: "Would it be good, he asked, for America to have former president Bill Clinton back in the White House?"

"You have got to be kidding," Romney said, adding: "The only thing I can think of that'd be as bad as that would be to have the gang of three running the war on terror: [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi, [Senate majority leader] Harry Reid, and Hillary Clinton."

Scott Helman can be reached at shelman@globe.com.